Francis J. McCullough, AllentownArmy Air Forces, World War II

When I was a young boy in second grade in a small country school in upstate New York, one morning at 11 a.m. I heard a bugler playing taps. When he finished, the teacher explained to us he did that because it was a very special day in the nation called Armistice Day, which later became known as Veterans Day — when we honor and remember the men and women who gave their time, and many their lives, to make this a better and safer world.

Later, my mother told me about the wars this country fought for freedom, in particular, World War I in 1917, in which my father and two uncles served and one lost his life. Years later, during World War II, I served in the 8th Air Force, and my two brothers in the Army and Navy.

On this Veterans Day, I remember all those who fought and died, and are still fighting and dying, to keep America safe. God bless our troops.